Guest Blogger: Shannon Vannatter
Award winning author, Shannon Taylor Vannatter writes contemporary Christian cowboy romance and has over a dozen published titles. A romance reader since her teens, she hopes to entertain Christian women and plant seeds in the non-believer’s heart as she demonstrates that love doesn’t conquer all—Jesus does!
Shannon gleans fodder for her fiction in rural Arkansas where she spent her teenage summers working the concession stand with her rodeo announcing dad and married a Texan who morphed into a pastor. In her spare time, she loves hanging out with her husband and son, flea marketing, and doing craft projects. I’m excited to let you know that Shannon has a giveaway. Keep reading!
Giveaway Details: Ten copies of Hill Country Redemption will be split among commentors on her blog tour. Winner’s will be revealed on Shannon’s Blogon April 13th. Here is the purchase link:
https://www.amazon.com/Hill-Country-Redemption-Cowboys/dp/1335488103
Because I love to preserve family memories, I have been excited to feature Shannon so that she can share her home decor with family history touches and a flair for memories and nostalgia. I will let Shannon share the details! And keep reading–she has a question for you. Plus more details about her book you won’t want to miss. You’ve just got to take a look at a few home decor photos to follow! You will see more of Shannon’s pictures on my FB Author Page:
https://www.facebook.com/authorbeckyvanvleet/?modal=admin_todo_tour
I love incorporating memories, nostalgia, and family history into my home decor. When I was a kid, my maternal grandpa would pump water from the well in the morning into a huge pot. Everyone drank out of the dipper. We never got sick and it was the best, coldest water I’ve ever had. The dipper in the pot on the left is one of theirs. The pot came from a flea market, but it’s similar to the one we used.
The corner table sat in their living room. Since it was actually part of my parents’ bedroom suite when they first got married and I always loved it, I ended up with it. It’s maple, but I painted it white, then stained the drawer and top a deep mahogany. It’s in my office now.
I used to walk through my paternal grandparents’ orchard with a paring knife, eating peaches, with juice running down my elbows until I couldn’t hold anymore. Best peaches ever. With the orchard long gone, my husband and I live where it used to be. I found the bushel basket at a flea market.
The wash tub light was my paternal grandmother’s. It had a stand like the one on the right that we saw at a flea market. When my family agreed we could have it, I envisioned a light fixture. My husband cut the arched holes in the side and inserted chicken wire per my ideas.
My husband isn’t as sentimental as me, but after his dad passed, he wanted something from the family ranch in Texas. He found this dead cypress stump and used it for the base of the table with the root for the light fixture. The bronze horse clock was his maternal grandfathers’. The clock didn’t work, but we were able to order one to replace it.
I love putting family memories and nostalgia in my books as well. In my current release, Hill Country Redemption, my heroine goes back to her family ranch after the death of her remaining parent. She plans to sell it, but the floral vintage couch in the shabby chic living room reminds her of the mother she lost as a teen and her recently deceased dad’s office still smells like his old spice cologne. Add a handsome ex-boyfriend plus some past secrets, and she ends up staying.
Question for Readers:
Do you have any pieces of family history in your house?
You may also answer on Becky’s Author Facebook page:
https://www.facebook.com/authorbeckyvanvleet/?modal=admin_todo_tour
More about Hill Country Redemption…
Will they allow God to help them forgive each other and do what’s best for their secret child?
Genre: Contemporary Romance
This cowboy has one more chance to make it right…
He already lost her once…
Now he’s fighting for her—and their daughter.
When Rance Shepherd takes a job stocking cattle for a local rodeo, he’s shocked that his new client is his ex-sweetheart, Larae Collins. Now he’s determined to prove to the single mother that he isn’t the restless cowboy she remembers. But when he discovers her little girl is his, they both must forgive past mistakes for a second shot at a future together.
Connect with Shannon:
I love that, Laurie. My best friend when I was growing up had snowball bushes lining the back of her house. But they were blue. They always bring back good memories when I see them. My mom has flowers all over her yard. I’m not a flower tender. I have flowering bushes and trees. I love flowers, but if you can’t mow around them, I don’t plant them.
Pieces of family history in my GARDEN! I think of Grandma’s garden every summer as I work in my flowers and vegetables. When my Grandma’s house sold several years ago, I asked if I could dig up a “snowball” bush. That was always a great memory for me. I used to pick one round cluster of the white flowers and it already made a “bouquet”. I also remember all her roses. I was allowed to dig one of her rose bushes. It still comes up every year. Her tradition was taking me around the garden (as a little girl) and telling me about every flower and smelling them with her. I do that now with my neighbor kids and they have grown to love nature also.
I love this idea, Laurie. Such a treasure to enjoy those flowers and memories at the same time. And I imagine those conversations you have with you neighbor children are very special!
Thanks for having me Becky. All the names will go in my drawing for the blog tour. Drawing April 12th.
It was my privilege, Shannon. I very much enjoyed those pictures and the family memories attached. I have a number of family mementos in my own home and I love telling the stories surrounding them to visitors!
Hey Lucy, that’s awesome about your keepsakes. Especially the military medals. Priceless.
I think I’d love looking at your curio cabinet and hearing all the stories, Robin.
That’s cool, Trixi about the and I’m so glad you get to chat with her face to face.
Becky, you didn’t sound bossy at all! 🙂 That’s a wonderful idea, thank you for sharing! ❤
I have my granddads railroad watch as he was an engineer. My dads military medals and a hula skirt he brought home from the Philippines during WWII, hankies and jewelry of my grandma and mom.
Hi Lelia, that’s wonderful! I have some of my dad’s mementos from WW2 as well and I will always treasure them. He was also in the Philippines, and I sure wish I had a hula skirt!
Oh yes! I have so many chachkies in my curio cabinets. My favorites are my dads’ tin plate from when he was a baby & my grandma’s family Bible. So many precious memories. Thanks for sharing Becky & Shannon. I sure would love to win a copy of Hill Country Redemption. Stay safe Y’all! ❤
Ahhh, a sweet tin baby plate, what a treasure. And your grandmother’s Bible–that’s wonderful. I hope you can continue to savor the memories and even pass these kinds of mementos down to the next generation. Not to sound bossy, but be sure to “tag” those items for dates and who they belonged to, etc. Thank you for commenting, Robin!
I don’t know If I would call it family history so much, but I do have a few sets of my moms salt & pepper shakers. She’s still alive, but moved to New Zealand in 2001 so she couldn’t bring everything with her. I like seeing them because they make me think of her! I’m so thankful for modern technology where we can video chat. 🙂
Thank you for a chance to win a copy of Shannon’s new book!
Trixi, I think that’s great that you have the salt and pepper shaker set. What a blessing that you can think of your mother when you look at them. I love to hear memories such as yours. Thank you for sharing! And yes, modern technology does wonders to keep all of us connected. Sincerely, Becky